An Ohio-based land development company that has gotten housing projects off the ground in Sanford, Windermere, and Horizon West is now looking to bring fee-simple townhomes to East Orlando.
DDC Management has submitted a preliminary application to Orange County for a 108-unit townhome community on a 10.7-acre piece of land along Dean Road, off E. Colonial Drive, near Union Park Middle School.
The two wooded parcels, surrounded by single-family homes, are currently owned by an entity titled Sanc Properties, LLC, which acquired them in 2012 for $330,000.
With an Orlando office, DDC Management has been active in this Central Florida market. Several subdivisions built by Ryan Homes are the result of the company’s work.
In Sanford, DDC entitled, engineered and developed Kensington Reserve, located along the south side of Lake Mary Boulevard. The finished 375 lots were then sold to Ryan Homes.
Ryan Homes also bought into DDC’s Sanctuary at Lakes of Windermere, an 81-lot community on infill land surrounded by lakes and golf courses.
And in Horizon West, DDC developed the 285-lot Hamilton Gardens subdivision. Again, Ryan Homes built those detached single-family units and townhomes, according to the company’s website.
DDC is currently prepping for two townhome communities in the Orlando market. The land developer is seeking approval to deliver 130 units to the ChampionsGate area as part of a $5.2 million investment, the company’s website says.
The latest townhome project proposed by DDC is for the property along the west side of Dean Road.
Garrett George with Engineering firm Ceso Inc., an affiliate of DDC Management, met with Orange County planners this week during a technical review meeting.
He said the plan fits what’s allowed for the property under the county’s land-use code, but he noted that a large portion of the site is occupied by wetlands.
“Land-use (code) allows ten units per acre so that would put us right at 108 units with a 10.7-acre site,” he said. “There is a large wetland that swoops through. There are about five acres of wetland on the site that we would be impacting. We will have to permit that through the St. John’s River Water Management District and mitigate that appropriately.”
Conceptual plans show two entry points into the townhome community from Elm Street, which runs along the southern boundary of the property.
One single road would loop through the site, allowing cars access to the 18 townhomes totaling six units a piece. A pond would act as the community’s centerpiece.
County planner Doug McDowell said the property currently has entitlements for 56 multifamily units. He said the developer would need to file a change determination review request to alter the land use to allow for townhomes.
County staff also advised the development team to conduct a traffic analysis since two of the roadways in the vicinity of the project are considered failing. That analysis will help determine if a traffic signal will be needed on Elm Street.
County officials also want to see some of the trees preserved on the site.
“We will make every effort we can to save as many trees as possible,” George said.
Conceptual plans call for the townhomes to be separated by 15 feet, with 50-foot setbacks from Dean Road and 25-foot setbacks from Elm Street.
The DDC team has developed over 4,200 lots in the last 20 years, according to its website. Company representatives could not be reached for comment.
The project emerges as Orange County officials are pushing for more “missing middle” products, such as townhomes.
The average home in Orange County sells for $530,000, and only 15% of all home sales come in under $200,000, according to data shared at a June 10 commission meeting.
“We continue to fall short on that challenging missing middle, attainable housing piece,” Jon Weiss, deputy county manager, told commissioners at that meeting.
But the county hasn’t quite nailed down the best way to entice developers to build more.
“We are working to solve a problem that we don’t know the solution to and are trying to come at it from different angles,” Weiss said in an email to GrowthSpotter.
The site of the proposed townhome project by DDC Management sits just east of where Miami-based Royal Palm Companies is looking to build as many as 600 apartment units along Econlockhatchee Trail, on the south side of Colonial Drive. The 44.5-acre tract, which stretches to both sides of the Little Econlockhatchee River, currently houses a 62-unit mobile home park.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at (407)-800-1161 or dwyatt@GrowthSpotter.com, or tweet me at @DustinWyattGS. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
